Humor Travel Life
A great way to end a solo backpacking trip is getting to visit with family you don't have the opportunity to see often, and in this case, relatives who live all the way across the Atlantic ocean. I stayed with family from my dad's side in Rotterdam, Netherlands. Though it wasn't my first time in The Netherlands, it was my first time staying in Rotterdam.
Our family has Jewish roots and so we visited the town of Strijen which has a monument dedicated to the Jewish families who died in the Holocaust, including ours. It happened that while on my vacation the tragic events in Charlottesville, Virginia took place. It was strange to hear about all the turmoil back home in the States, yet feel so distanced from it at the same time. Though our family had visited Strijen back in 2008, the recent events especially made me want to visit again. In 2017 it feels surreal that we have to still be dealing with Neo-Nazis and the KKK, but because of that, it's important to look back at reminders of the past to see how destructive hate can be and how important it is to stand up for what's right. While also in The Netherlands I had the opportunity to see Madurodam. It is a popular attraction in The Hague that has a bunch of miniature replicas of various Dutch cities and landmarks and even has some Dutch history shows there as well. The tiny towns were great, especially since they made this short girl feel tall. If you're looking for adventurous Dutch food, I recommend checking out the outdoor food market in Rotterdam. You can even eat Herring by the tail, but I don't recommend that portion for any first dates. I had an incredible time getting to catch up with family over in The Netherlands, even though it was brief, and I am so grateful to them for allowing me to stay with them and for showing me such a fun time. The Netherlands feels like a second home whenever I go there. My only wish is that I would have gotten to experience it with my Oma, but I was lucky enough that she brought a piece of The Netherlands to me all my life with her stories and Dutch traditions. That marks the end of my big 30th birthday trip backpacking around Europe. It was incredible and I'm so proud of myself for doing it on my own. I'm also proud of myself for also managing to sleep on the airplanes. Every accomplishment counts right? If you're reading this and thinking I must have been nuts to go on my own, it's not nearly as scary as you'd think, and I met amazing new people along the way. Life is meant to be an adventure, and I definitely had a great one. Next up, I'll be posting about my recommendations and things I learned along the way for Scotland, London, and Paris for any solo travelers on a budget, as well as specific tips for female solo travelers. If you're looking to head to any of these places in the near future and want some suggestions, check in on this blog and I'm excited to share what I've learned with you. 'Til the next adventure! There was a movie named Paris, I Love You, so you figure it must be doing something right. To be honest, as great as it is to experience Paris, I was actually kind of nervous to go. I barely speak any French and I'm an awkward American, which seemed like a recipe for disaster in a city with a vibe of effortlessly cool chain-smokers who somehow dine on bread and cheese and never gain weight. Everyone told me how much I would love Paris, and I was just hoping to get by without being yelled at by a disgruntled bus driver.
I get it now. The city is absolutely magical. You totally understand why people like Hemingway loved it so much. It's one of the biggest cities in the world, yet remains so calm at the same time. It was a relief not to be around a bunch of neurotic Angelenos. No offense LA, but we are kind of crazy. I stayed in the historic Latin Quarter, which I later found out is the same part of town Hemingway lived, which made me feel all the more cool as I wrote about my trip. We're both writers right? Yeah, I wish. My hostel was called the Young and Happy Hostel (I know, cheesy right?) but it would have been better suited as the Old and Bitter Hostel. Seriously, why are all the employees so grumpy? You live in Paris, not Guantanamo. I felt like I had to apologize for being there. My first stop was a local cafe down the road. Now, for someone who is a Lucille Ball fan I never thought I'd actually live out an I Love Lucy episode. Thankfully not the one where she goes to jail in Paris, but the one where she tries to order food at a cafe yet has no idea what she's ordering and tries to overcompensate. I'm not one to make a snap judgment of all Paris waiters based on one place, but I somehow wandered into the cafe with the service industry equivalent of a root canal. Luckily, a Parisian lady with a kind heart helped me order and even gave me lots of great advice for getting around the city. Next up, it was time to check out the Eiffel Tower. As great as the Eiffel Tower is to see up close, it's a puzzle trying to figure out how to get yourself in a shot with the full tower in the background when you're that close. Tourist problems. The Eiffel Tower was incredible, though in all seriousness you do notice the increased security in the area now due to terrorism threats, and for someone who is nervous around guns, it's quite intimidating. At the end of the day though, they are there for our protection, which I am grateful for. The next morning I ate my first Parisian croissant, and I was slightly disappointed when I didn't morph into Brigitte Bardot. It wasn't life changing, but it was inexpensive. I moved on to the Louvre Museum where thanks to the magic of cinema, the theme from The Da Vinci Code was stuck in my head for the majority of the visit. It was when I went to see the Mona Lisa though that I realized I forgot my glasses. Since you have to see the painting from behind a bar at a distance, it made my semi-tragedy of forgetting my glasses while at one of the most famous museums in the world all the more pathetic. You can bet I've never squinted harder in my life. The Louvre is absolutely gorgeous. The museum itself is a work of art. In addition to the Mona Lisa, I saw the Venus de Milo. For me, it was important to get photos of the major artworks, but I saw tourists taking photos of practically every single painting and sculpture. It's art. You are actually there. Take it in for crying out loud. My last full day in Paris I had the opportunity to see the Notre Dame. And no, it is not pronounced the same way we pronounce the university here, nor is there a hunchback lingering in the bell tower. It is, however, an incredibly beautiful, historic church. You can even venture to the top of Notre Dame and check out the view of the city. I didn't even care that my legs turned into jelly after walking up all those stairs; The view is totally worth it. Plus you even get to go inside the bell tower. Again, no Quasimodo. Finishing out my time in Paris included seeing the nighttime light show back at the Eiffel Tower. As cool as the Eiffel is during the day, it is a must to see it lit up at night. They don't call it the City of Lights for nothing. Just be mindful of the rats when sitting on a bench in a park. Seriously. Last but not least on my 30 Flirty and Traveling blog series, my time with family in The Netherlands! Merry ol' London. My love of history, Shakespeare, and British accents was finally culminating. It would be a vacation filled with amazing sights, excellent theater, and my tourist-self reminding my actor-self NOT to say "Bond, Jill Bond" or "Cheerio".
After a train ride in which the lady sitting behind me was taking out her frustration on her laptop keyboard, I had arrived in London. My first stop after settling into my hostel would be the famous Abbey Road crosswalk and studios. But first, I had to get to my hostel, which was just off of Oxford St. If you're not familiar with Oxford St., it is one of the busiest shopping districts in London. I could feel my budget cringing at the thought of being so close to so many stores, but thanks to glorious WOW Air, I couldn't buy much because then I'd have to pay extra to take it on the airplane home. All was right with the world. The thing about navigating Oxford St. is that it's sort of like going into battle with your fellow pedestrians. There's a Seinfeld episode in which George buys a super-puffy Gore-Tex coat, which I'm convinced would have been perfect armor for me on Oxford St. Next up it was Abbey Road. Obviously the thing about the famous crosswalk that people forget is that it's still a working crosswalk with cars driving through and no traffic lights. But if you've ever met a millennial with an Instagram account, you know they'd rather die trying to get that prime Instagram shot than not try at all. We all took turns asking each other to take our photo, while simultaneously trying not to get hit by an oncoming car. For any music fans out there, the cool thing about Abbey Road Studios itself, is that a lot of famous musicians have worked out of there. So while it's legendary because of The Beatles, lots of other artists have recorded there too. The next day I had the opportunity to explore more of the city with a friend from college who resides in the area. Our first stop was the Notting Hill neighborhood. The film Notting Hill is one of my all-time favorite films, especially in the romantic comedy genre, so you can imagine my disappointment when the location of Hugh Grant's travel book store from the film is merely a tacky souvenir shop still banking on the success of the film. I walked in literally thinking 'You guys couldn't even have made this into an actual travel book store?' Throughout the day we saw the Thames River, which I had no idea how to properly pronounce, Shakespeare's The Globe Theater, Big Ben, Parliament, and the Tower Bridge. I even had the opportunity to have more Guinness. It's the little things in life sometimes... The following day I hit up the spectacular Westminster Abbey. It houses some of history's greatest monarchs and influencers, and when I say influencers I'm not referring to people famous on YouTube for prank videos. I'm talking Queen Elizabeth I, Mary Queen of Scots, Isaac Newton, and Charles Darwin, which means it's not only a celebration of leadership and religion, but also of science and innovation. The abbey is just about 1000 years old, and is now more friendly to science than the Republican party. I even got to say hello to the (priest, I think it was), who I'm pretty sure moonlights as a musician on the weekends with his man-ponytail that can conveniently turn into a man-bun when the occasion calls. The Tower of London was something I had never actually looked up images of prior to going, and truth be told, I imagined literally just a giant tower surrounded by grass. But subtly is not the case here. It's in fact quite huge and looks more like an enclosed town with multiple buildings than a mere tower. They even had actors playing guardsmen there, and I genuinely wondered how many times they've wanted to punch a tourist. Something to remember is that this is a place where numerous people were beheaded throughout history and many of them carved their names or messages onto the walls of their respective prisons inside. So while it's an exciting place to see, there's also a lot of dark history there too, but thankfully there's a gift shop and ice cream stand to liven up the mood if need be. My final big London activity was definitely the one I was most excited for: seeing Shakespeare's King Lear at The Globe. Though the original Globe Theater burned down, they built an exact replica which is still a working theater today. As an actor, this was a memory I'm really grateful for and inspired by. Though I work in LA, which is mostly on-camera jobs, there is nothing quite like the theater, especially Shakespeare. It was an excellent show and I'd recommend anyone looking to see theater in London to check it out. The Bard would be proud. All in all, London was great. I learned that 'fetch' is not actual British slang, and I still haven't figured out how to properly say Thames. Next up, Paris! |
About the author
Jill Zwarensteyn is a writer and comedian who has been featured on Amazon, truTV, The New York Times, Matador Network, BUST Magazine, Sleep Advisor, Tiplr, ARTRPRNR Magazine, YourTango, Thought Catalog, GoMad Nomad, Mashable, The Daily Mail UK, the Cannes Film Festival, LaughFest, Women's Lifestyle Magazine, and the Funny Women Festival LA. For more info visit: http://www.jillzwarensteyn.weebly.com Archives
November 2023
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